Be Strong
by ARandomFan91
Summary: Blaine gets cancer, and Kurt has to be there for him. Kurt has never felt so scared and alone. Can their new relationship survive?
1. This isn't happening

'This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. He was too young. They weren't ready for this. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Not after everything they'd been through. No. No way.'

Kurt reached out to grab on to whatever he could find, gasping for air, trying to comprehend what was being told to him, breathing heavily into the phone.

"Say it again."

"Blaine has cancer, Kurt" replied Wes.

And there it was. Kurt hadn't misunderstood. This was really happening.

"How? How is that possible? He's 17. He only went in for a routine surgery. His appendix burst. That was it. Not cancer. He's not supposed to have cancer."

"I know, Kurt," Wes said softly, trying to comfort the young boy. "No one was expecting this. After the doctors got started with the surgery, they found it. No one knew. Blaine had never been examined for cancer before, so they had no way of knowing until they got in there. But he does. You should come to the hospital."

Kurt nodded, before realizing that Wes couldn't actually see him, slowly coming to terms with what he was being told. Blaine, his 17 year old best friend, and brand new boyfriend had cancer. And Kurt wasn't there with him. Kurt needed to be with him.

"I'm on my way."

As Kurt went to hang up the phone, he heard Wes call out.

"Kurt. Be strong."

As if Kurt had a choice. There was no choice when it came to love. Kurt loved Blaine, and he would be by his side through all of this, no matter what.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Hey guys. Sorry this first chapter is so short. Just wanted to set up the basics of the story. This fic will be quite a few chapters long, and I'll try to update as often as I can. I know where I want to go with this story and (SPOILER ALERT) don't worry, there will be happy times for Kurt and Blaine. Just a lot of sad times first. :(

Also, I'm on tumblr. I'd love for you to follow me. moonshoespotterstarkid :)

Oh yeah, and review! I always listen to suggestions!

One last thing: I don't own Glee or these characters. This story, however, is loosely based off of my own life experiences


	2. All alone

Kurt ran into the hospital, not knowing exactly where he was going, but, luckily, Wes was there and caught his eye.

"WES! Where is he? Is he awake? Has he been asking for me? Where is he?"

"Kurt, you have to calm down. He's awake, but just barely. He's pretty drugged up right now. Morphine for the pain. He doesn't even know that he has cancer yet, so he's going to need you to be calm."

At these words, Kurt took a calming breath... that was, until he realized that it was Wes who had greeted him, not Blaine's parents. Where the FUCK were his parents? Kurt knew it was supposed to just be a routine surgery, but STILL.

"Wes, where are Blaine's parents? Please tell me they're just in the room with Blaine right now."

Wes looked away, not knowing how to break the news to Kurt.

"Kurt... they're not coming. They're out of the country on business, and when I called them, I was only able to talk to Mr. Anderson's secretary. When the secretary called me back, he just told me that Mr. Anderson said he wouldn't be able to make it back to the country and he was sure we'd do fine here on our own. They're not coming... I'm so sorry."

Kurt had started crying. He couldn't believe it. Blaine had always told him that his parents were distant and uninterested, but this... this was just too much to comprehend. Blaine had cancer and his own parents weren't there.

"Those BASTARDS. Those fucking BASTARDS!"

Kurt was in a rage. He started pacing the waiting room, yelling obscenities. He had never been so angry. He didn't even hear Wes' pleads for him to calm down.

Kurt calmed down on his own though, after a few seconds. The memory of Blaine, alone, in a hospital room, not even knowing his fate, was enough to make him stop, and once again ask Wes, "where's Blaine. Take me to him. I need to see him."

Wes placed his hand gently on Kurt's back, and led him to Blaine's hospital room.

Kurt didn't even hesitate before walking in, thanking Wes over his shoulder. If Kurt had known what was waiting for him on the other side of that door, maybe he would have waited a few more minutes. A few extra minutes before his life changed forever.


	3. A cry for help

Nothing could have prepared Kurt for the sight in front of him. He had never seen his hero, his mentor, his best friend, his boyfriend... look so vulnerable. Kurt had to literally take a few steps back from the shock of it all. There were wires and tubes and needles going into Blaine everywhere Kurt could see. And there was an annoying beeping sound coming from a machine sitting next to Blaine's bed. Kurt was relieved that Blaine at least had a single room. He would never want anyone to experience his boyfriend like this. Blaine didn't deserve that. Blaine was such a strong person... he would have hated for people to experience him like this. Kurt almost felt like he was invading by witnessing Blaine like this. Oh, and now Blaine is looking at him with a groggy look on his face. Oh, and he's smiling.

'Why is he smiling? He has canc- oh, that's right. He doesn't know yet that he has cancer. And his parents aren't here. So I'm going to be the one to have to tell him.'

That's when it hit Kurt. He was going to break Blaine's heart. The most precious man in the world to him, and he had to give him the life-changing news.

Tears welled up in Kurt's eyes. But he brushed them away with the back of his hand and walked over to Blaine, taking a seat in the chair next to his bed, too scared to sit on the bed with Blaine, worried that he would upset one of the wires or hurt his fragile boyfriend.

Blaine, nonetheless, made to lean up to grab Kurt into a hug, but fell back with an audible shriek in pain.

"Ow. Who knew a simple surgery like that could hurt so much, huh?" Blaine said to Kurt with a goofy smile.

"You look pretty, baby. Kind of funny too. You keep spinning around the room. Am I on drugs? I feel like I'm flying. I must be on drugs..." Blaine broke off, giggling.

Kurt couldn't help but laugh with him, happy to see his boyfriend so blissfully unaware of how much both of their lives had changed already, in just the past hour.

"Yes, sweetie. You're on morphine right now. You need to rest. You go back to sleep. I'll sit here and watch you."

Then Blaine got an adorably curious look on his face, gazing up at Kurt... or at least attempting to, but his eyes kept going cross-eyed.

"Wait... what are you doing here, Kurt? You didn't have to come. I would have been alright."

Kurt began tearing up again at this. He couldn't tell Blaine about the cancer yet. Not while Blaine was still in his drugged state. Not when he was so content. So he told him a half-truth.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else right now. I wanted to be with you. There is nowhere else I would rather be."

Kurt leaned over and gave Blaine a soft, sweet kiss on his forehead, to which Blaine smiled up at him, and then Blaine fell asleep. And Kurt watched him through his tears.

* * *

><p>The next he knew, Kurt was being shaken awake by a man in a white coat. Oh, this must be the doctor. Good. Now Kurt could get some answers.<p>

"Hi. My name's Dr. Patrick.", he said, holding out his hand. "And you are?"

"I'm Kurt. Blaine's boyfriend. I'm all he's got", Kurt replied, shaking the doctor's hand.

"Ah. Well it's a pleasure to meet you Kurt, although I'm sorry it is under such circumstances. I assume you know by now that the surgery didn't go exactly as planned."

Kurt nodded sadly. "Yes, sir. Although I would like to know more. Can you explain to me exactly what happened? What kind of cancer is it? Where do we go from here? Will Blaine live?"

"Shhh, it's ok son."

Kurt didn't realize that his voice had been getting louder and more desperate with each question.

"Sorry. I'm just... scared, I guess."

"It's ok. That's normal. And I have no problem explaining everything to you... but shouldn't we wait for Blaine's parents to arrive?"

Kurt immediately tensed up at the memory. In a cold voice, Kurt said, "they're not coming. They're out of the country on business. It's just me."

"Just you? Don't you have someone who could be here with you? No offense, but your just a young boy. You shouldn't be dealing with this on your own."

Kurt hadn't even thought of this. He had been so consumed with getting to Blaine and being there for him, he hadn't even considered his own needs. He wondered where Wes had gone to. Who knew how long Kurt had been asleep... Wes had probably left by now. Oh! His dad! Why hadn't he called his dad?

"I should call my dad. But not before you tell me what's wrong with Blaine. I need to know. Please."

Dr. Patrick hesitated for a minute, before giving in, sitting in the chair opposite Kurt's. Kurt tried his best to relax into the seat, physically preparing himself for what he was about to hear.

"Well, Kurt. As you know, Blaine came in for a basic surgery due to a ruptured appendix. The surgery was going just fine, until about 5 minutes in. That's when we noticed that something was off with the tissue around his stomach. He has something called gastric cancer, or cancer of the stomach. Luckily, we were able to get it out to the best of our abilities. An oncologist was on call nearby and was able to come and take over the surgery."

Kurt sighed in relief at this news. So Blaine didn't have cancer. He had had cancer. Past tense. Everything would be ok. Kurt stated his thoughts out loud to the doctor.

The doctor shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This made Kurt immediately tense up again.

"Well... not exactly. Yes, it is true that we got the cancer out. But it was already at stage 2 and-"

"Wait, Doctor Patrick. What does that mean? What is stage 2? Is that bad?"

"It's not necessarily bad. But it's not good either. I mean, no cancer is ever good. Cancer is ranked in stages of 1-4, in order of seriousness. Stage 2 is right in the middle. It would have been better if we had found it at stage 1, but be thankful we didn't find it at stage 4. If we had found it at stage 4, there would have been no hope."

Kurt had started crying again at the thought of this. It could have been worse. He could have lost Blaine. He could still lose Blaine. He had just gotten Blaine. He couldn't handle this.

"Please tell me he'll live. Please, doctor. Please. I'm begging you."

"Shh. Calm down, son. It's ok. I can never make any promises. Cancer is an unpredictable and scary thing. But like I said, we got it out. However... there is always a chance that the cancer could come back. Also, there could be microscopic cancer cells left in Blaine's body that could latch on to his stomach, or elsewhere in his body, at any time, causing the cancer to grow back and get worse. So there are necessary precautions that need to be taken."

"What kind of precautions? We'll do anything. Please, just make him be ok."

Kurt was borderline hysterical at this point. He just wanted his Blaine to be ok, no matter what. And then he heard the word that everyone always dreaded to hear. The word that made the cancer seem more real. This word made him finally fall apart.

"Chemotherapy."

Kurt couldn't control his crying anymore. He still couldn't believe that this was happening. Happening to him. Happening to his Blaine. They were 17 years old. 17 year olds weren't supposed to get cancer. They just weren't. It wasn't fair.

Doctor Patrick began to shift in his seat, uncomfortable and not sure what to do about the crying boy in front of him. He had seen patients and friends upset at the news of cancer before, but he had never seen someone mourn to this extreme. It was obvious that Kurt had extremely strong feelings for his boyfriend. Doctor Patrick began to reach his hand out, to give Kurt a comforting pat on his shoulder, but someone beat him there.

Kurt startled at the soft hand on his shoulder. He turned to his right and saw Blaine, staring up at him through his own tears.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: You guysssss... Blaine knows! How will he react to the news?


	4. I'll be here

"Blaine... Sweetie. You're a-, um, you're awake... how long have you been awake? How much did you hear?"

Kurt doesn't know why he asked Blaine that question. The look on Blaine's face and the tears running down Blaine's cheeks told Kurt the answer. Blaine had heard enough.

Blaine just sat there, lightly touching Kurt, unable to speak, a blank look in his eyes.

Who knows how long the two boys sat there in silence, just taking in everything that had happened, tears running down their faces. Until finally...

"Are my parents really not coming? I mean, I know their jobs are important, but..."

"Blaine... I... I don't know what to say... I'm so sorry."

"They're not. They're not coming. I'm not important enough."

"NO!" Kurt shouted in anger.

"No! Blaine, listen to me. Don't you ever say that. You are important. Your parents... your parents are just... just... I don't even think there are words to describe how messed up they are for doing this to you. But you are important. You are important to me. And I will always be here for you. Do you understand me? I will be here. We will get through this, together."

Blaine had begun crying even harder at Kurt's loving words. During Kurt's speech, Kurt had decided 'screw it. I'm getting in this bed and I'm holding my boyfriend, wires be damned.'

And that is what Kurt did. He laid there and held his boyfriend as they both drowned in their tears and their fear of the unknown. They both knew that this would be a long, painful experience, and it would test their relationship to no ends, but they also knew, deep down, that nothing, not even cancer could come between them. They would make it through this.

"Boys, if you will excuse me, I have other patients to tend to. I will be back shortly though. Blaine, I'm sure you'll be needing more pain medication soon, so just hit that button next to your bed to call the nurse when you're ready. Also, Kurt, I think it would be wise for you to call your father soon. And I would just like to say that I'm sorry that this is happening to you two. We'll do everything we can to help you, Blaine."

Both boys jumped, startled, when Dr. Patrick spoke, having forgotten that he was in the room with them. Both boys simply nodded, then turned their attention back to one another as Dr. Patrick quietly got out of his chair and slipped out of the room, softly shutting the door behind him, giving the boys some privacy.

The boys stayed curled up in one another for a little while longer, both delaying the conversation they knew they would have to have.

But finally, they couldn't avoid it any longer. Blaine wiped his tears away, knowing he would have to hurry the conversation along before he had to take more pain medication and passed out again.

"Soo... so this is really happening, isn't it?" Blaine asked Kurt, a sad look in his eyes.

Kurt sighed.

"Yeah, sweetie. It really is. I'm so sorry. But everything's going to be alright. I promise you. We'll make it through this."

"I- I know. I'm just scared. I'm not supposed to have cancer. That isn't how it was supposed to happen. I was so nervous about this surgery, and everyone kept telling me, 'don't worry about it! It's just a simple surgery that doctors perform every day! Everything will be fine!' Little did I know it wasn't the surgery I should have been scared of... it was what they would find during surgery. Baby... I just... I can't... I..."

Blaine broke off, crying again. And Kurt just held him, shushing him and cradling him, with love and care, not knowing what to say to make his boyfriend feel better, because he was just as scared.

"It will be ok, Blaine. We'll be ok. We'll make it through this. And I promise you, I will always be here for you. You don't have to be strong. I'll be strong for you. Lean on me and, together, we'll be ok."

"Thank you. I love you so much. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being here. Just... thank you, Kurt."

Kurt smiled into the top of Blaine's hair, where he was resting his head, still holding on to Blaine like his life depended on it.

"Of course, sweetie. Of course. Now I think you should call the nurse and get some pain medication, like the doctor said. We'll figure out everything else once you've gained some of your strength back."

Kurt made to get up so that he could press the button to call the nurse, but Blaine clung to him desperately, flinching in pain as he did so.

"Will you be here when I wake up? Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!"

"Shhh. I'll be here. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Kurt gently pried Blaine's hands away from him, and moved around to the other side of the bed to press the button to call the nurse. The nurse appeared instantly and inserted a new morphine pump into one of the many wires connected to Blaine's body. Blaine began to feel the effects of the drug immediately, and felt his eyes begin to close, no matter how hard he fought against it, wanting to stay awake and be with Kurt, with the knowledge that his boyfriend was there for him and cared for him.

"It's ok, Blaine. Go to sleep. Like I said, I'll be here. I promise."

And then Blaine was out. Kurt sat back down in the chair next to the bed, holding gently onto Blaine's hand, reveling in the comfort that just that small touch could provide. Kurt was exhausted, both physically and mentally, from everything that had happened in the past few hours. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to just sleep. But first, he needed to call his dad.


	5. Burt and Kurt

"Dad! You're here!" Kurt shrieked, jumping up from his seat next to Blaine's bed, running to his father.

Burt instantly brought Kurt safe into his arms, clinging on to him for dear life.

"Shhh, it's ok. I'm here now. It's ok", Burt said, trying to soothe his son's tears. There was nothing more painful in the world for a father to experience than seeing his own child cry.

"How are you? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, dad. Well... no, that's a lie. I'm not fine. But Blaine's a lot worse. He has cancer, dad. Gastric cancer. And he's going to have to have chemotherapy. And his parents aren't here and I- I just don't know what to do."

Burt was in shock. All Kurt had told him over the phone was that Blaine was in the hospital and he needed him. He knew about the surgery Blaine was having, so he was worried something had gone with that, but he never expected cancer. That was the last thing that had crossed his mind.

After holding on to his son for a few more minutes, Kurt was finally able to calm down enough to talk rationally with his dad.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so overwhelmed. We just started dating, and now... this. I just, I don't know what I'm supposed to do here. I love him. I know we're young, and I know this relationship is new, and I know I've said that before about Finn, but I never really knew what love meant until I met Blaine, dad. I can't breathe at the thought of losing him. It... it reminds me of how I felt when you were in the hospital. And I didn't know if you would ever wake up, but when you did, everything started to go back to normal. But this is different, dad. Blaine's awake. I don't have to worry about that. But I feel like I'll have to worry for the rest of our lives that the cancer will come back, and I'm just so scared."

Burt was shocked by his son's words. He knew his time in the hospital had taken its toll on his son, but he had no idea that the thought of that time still haunted him so much. And the words 'the rest of our lives' and the sincerity in his son's voice when he said 'I love him' caught Burt by surprise. Kurt and Blaine were a lot more serious that he had thought they were. He knew, deep down, that what Kurt and Blaine had was real, and that his son loved Blaine, but... the rest of their lives... wow.

And then Burt suddenly remembered what his son had said earlier, about Blaine's parents not being there. He looked around the room, and sure enough, it was just him, Kurt, and Blaine.

"What's this about his parents not being here? When will they arrive?"

"They're... they're not, dad. They're not coming. They couldn't be bothered enough... the bastards. Blaine... Blaine only has an empty house to go home to. I can't do that to him. I promised him I would be there with him, every step of the way. I have to be with him, dad.

Burt couldn't help the shocked look that came across his face and the tears that began trickling down his cheeks, and he clung to his son even tighter. Kurt was the most precious thing in the world to him. He could never imagine not being there for him when he needed him most... at least, not intentionally. It was then that he decided what he would do.

"He'll move in with us. We'll take care of him."

Kurt was in shock. He couldn't believe what his dad had just said. Was this really happening?

"R-really?"

"Yes. It is obvious that you two care a lot about each other, and anyone who my son loves that much is welcome in our family. We'll help him out. We'll all get through this... together. It's going to be ok, son."

Kurt tucked his head into the crook of his father's neck, crying shamelessly, happy and scared at the same time. Blaine would be moving in with them. Kurt wouldn't have any extra worries about who was taking care of Blaine, or if Blaine was alone and scared. It would be that much easier for Kurt to keep the promise he had made to Blaine... the promise that he would always be there for him.

But there were still so many questions to be asked, and Kurt didn't want to waste any time. He wanted as many answers as he could get, trying to solidify anything that he could grab on to, trying to find some control in his life again.

"What about Dalton? Where will Blaine go to school... assuming he'll still be able to. And where will he sleep. I know we have a new house and everything since you got married, but there still aren't any guest rooms. And you and Carole work all the time... are you sure you'll have time to help take care of him?"

"Well, we'll have to talk to Blaine about this, but I'm sure he'd be fine transferring to McKinley, especially now that you're back there. He'll need you throughout all of this. But, we should talk to the doctor too, to make sure he'll still be able to attend school throughout chemotherapy. As far as where he'll sleep... I don't see any problem with you two sharing a bed, if that's ok with the two of you, which, if I remember from my own experiences at your age, I'm sure won't be a problem. Besides, Blaine will be too tired all of the time for you two to get up to anything inappropriate. And yes, Carole and I do work a lot, but you took great care of me when I had my heart attack, so I believe that you will do just as good a job taking care of Blaine. We'll still be there for you, kiddo. All you have to do is ask, and I'll be there. So will Carole. We're a family now. You, me, Carole, Finn... and Blaine. We'll stick together through all of this."

Burt and Kurt continued to stand in the middle of the room, clinging to one another, thinking back over the exchange that had just happened between the two. That is, until they heard a light grunt coming from Blaine's bed.

Kurt peeked over his dad's shoulder, to see that Blaine had woken up again, staring at Kurt and his dad embracing, giving Kurt a goofy look... probably from all that morphine. Kurt couldn't help but giggle at his boyfriend.

"Blaine, sweetie..." Kurt said, walking over to his boyfriend, sitting gently on the bed next to him, holding his callused hands in his own softer ones.

"How would you like to move in with us?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Ahhhhhh, Kurt and Burt. Best father/son relationship ever. And Blaine's moving in with them! YAY! Cuddle time for Kurt and Blaine... of course, only when Blaine's not too tired from chemo. What will Dr. Patrick have to say about all of these new plans?

Reviews are awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. You guys kind of rock my world, and I'm glad you like the story so far :)


	6. Answers

Blaine and Kurt were laying in Blaine's hospital bed, talking quietly and excitedly about their plans. Blaine easily agreed to transferring to McKinley in the fall, if it meant being closer to Kurt. And, just like Burt had suspected, neither had any problem with sharing a bed in Kurt's bedroom.

Burt, meanwhile, was sitting in the chair next to Blaine's bed, admiring the interaction between his son and his boyfriend. He knew the two were together all the time, but he had never really witnessed the two interact before. They were so in sync with one another, talking and giggling softly... almost as if this whole tragic situation they were in had never happened. It was as if they had known each other their whole lives... not just a few months. And he knew that what they had was real. Hell, he had only known Carole for a few months before they got married, and he didn't have a doubt in his mind that she was the one. And he had met his first wife at such a young age. He knew, deep down, no matter what the rest of the world said, that if the two boys could make it through this, they would easily be together for the rest of their lives. And he couldn't be happier for them.

Burt's thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on the door, followed by a man in a white coat entering. Oh, this much be the doctor.

Dr. Patrick immediately noticed the new presence in the room, and smiled, glad that someone older was finally there for the two boys. He held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Patrick. You must be Kurt's father. I'm glad you're here."

Burt reached out his hand to shake the doctor's, replying "You can call me Burt. Nice to meet you. So, what's the news on Blaine?"

Both Blaine and Kurt had stopped their talking, full attention on the doctor as soon as he entered, a somber mood instantly spreading throughout the room once again.

"Well, Blaine seems to be recovering from his surgery just fine, so there is nothing to worry about on that part."

Everyone in the room sighed in relief. Well, there was one less thing to worry about.

"So, since we don't have to worry about that, could you tell us a little more about the cancer and the treatment?" Burt asked the doctor.

"Well, Burt, even though Blaine is recovering just fine, he'll still need some time to get his strength back before he starts the chemotherapy treatment. The treatment is extremely draining and tears the body down, so we would hate for him to be even more tired, or risk infection, by going through chemo while his body is still trying to heal from the surgery. Luckily, summer just started for you boys, so we have plenty of time to work with."

"How long will I have to go through chemotherapy, doctor? And what all is involved with it? What will it be like?"

Blaine had so many questions, but those were the only ones he could think of to ask at the time. He figured he'd be seeing Dr. Patrick plenty more, so there would be time for him to think of more questions later.

"I want you to take three weeks to recover fully from surgery before we start chemo treatment. Then, we'll be seeing you once every four weeks for the next six months. Of course, you'll have to come in on random days throughout those four weeks for blood work and check-ups. After each chemo treatment, it will take you about a week to get your strength back, during which you should steer clear of sick people, since your immune system will be down during that time. Then, you'll have the next three weeks to enjoy yourself before you come back in. I'm afraid you won't be at full strength during those three weeks, but you won't be on your death bed either. Of course, there will be some changes to your every day life, such as loss of hair and a change of taste in foods."

Burt interrupted the doctor at this point, a slight smile on his face, trying to remain positive for the two young boys.

"Oh, he doesn't have to worry about that. You'll be living with a master chef. Kurt can cook just about anything."

"Oh, I know." Blaine says, staring lovingly at his boyfriend.

Burt realized, in that moment, that he would probably never be able to tell Blaine something about Kurt that Blaine didn't already know. Blaine probably knew Kurt better than he did at that point.

The doctor continued. "Aside from all the things I just mentioned, and being tired and achy, Blaine should be ok. We'll have to check back up on him in a few weeks before we start chemo to make sure he's healed alright from the surgery. And then when chemo is done, we'll check on him again to make sure the cancer isn't back. And if it's not back at that point, you should be fine."

Blaine was beginning to relax. This didn't sound so bad after all. Maybe he would be alright after all. That is, as long as the cancer didn't come back at the end of this. That was his main concern. Although, he wasn't too happy about a week of agony for the next six months either, but he had Kurt to help him get through that.

"Oh, one more question, Dr. Patrick. When school starts back up in the fall, will I be able to go to school while I'm going through chemotherapy? I don't want to fall behind."

Dr. Patrick smiled at his young patient.

"I don't see any reason why not, Blaine. Of course, you won't be up for it the week after your chemo treatment, but for the three weeks after, it shouldn't be a problem. Maybe Kurt here could bring you assignments and help you catch up when you're not well enough to attend."

Blaine only had one last question for the doctor... at least for now.

"When can I go... home?" Blaine questioned, hesitating before the word home, glancing back and forth between Kurt and Burt.

Burt smiled at him. "It's ok, son. You can call it home. It is your home now."

Blaine smiled at him, grateful for his boyfriend's kindness. A kindness he had never experience with his own parents.

"I don't see any reason why you can't go home tomorrow, Blaine. We'd like to keep you overnight, just to make sure there aren't any problems. But if you do fine through the night, we'll send you home, with a bottle of painkillers, of course." The doctor chuckled.

"Oh, and you can have one guest stay with you tonight, if you so choose."

At this, Kurt glanced up at his dad, a desperate look in his eyes.

Burt nodded at his son, giving his consent for Kurt to stay with Blaine if he wanted to.

Kurt smiled, then turned back to Blaine, who was smiling up at his boyfriend as if he was the only person on the face of the planet.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after the doctor, and then Burt- after both boys reassuring him over and over again that yes, they would be fine on their own for one night, and yes, if they needed anything they would call a nurse- had excused themselves, it was just Kurt and Blaine again. The boys had stayed up for a while, just talking and enjoying being with one another, both trying their hardest to keep the conversation light , avoiding all talk of the difficult situation that they would be dealing with for the next six months. As both boys began to drift into sleep, Blaine in the bed and Kurt in the uncomfortable chair next to him, Blaine spoke up, a tremor in his voice.<p>

"Kurt, could you... could you hold me? I know there are tons of wires and it's kind of gross and the bed's not very big and you probably won't be comfortable and I'm wearing this stupid gown with no back to it and... oh, never mind... I'm sorry... I was stupid to ask..."

But Blaine was cut off by Kurt crawling into the bed with him, wrapping his arms gently around Blaine, holding him where he could find a place that wasn't covered in wires.

"Blaine, sweetie. Never hesitate to ask me to be there for you. I made you a promise, remember. I'll always be here for you. No matter what."

Kurt kissed Blaine lightly on the nose, and Blaine snuggled his head into Kurt's chest, both boys easily falling into a deep sleep after the long, emotional day.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Kurt and Blaine fluff. Ahhhh, I love it. So glad Kurt can be there for Blaine... but will it always be so easy for the two of them?

Next chapter: the boys go home and enjoy some time together, drama free :)


	7. Planning

"Welcome home, Blaine!" Kurt said cheerily, providing his body for support to Blaine, who was still sore from surgery.

Blaine smiled up at his boyfriend, leaning against his side.

"I'm happy to be here."

Burt shuffled past the boys, carrying Blaine's belongings that he had picked up the night before on his way home from the hospital, after making plans for Blaine to move in with them.

"Kurt, if you would like, go ahead and take Blaine up to your room. I'll take his bags up there and you can unpack for him while he rests on your bed." Burt called over his shoulder, as he made his way upstairs.

"You sure you're up for a trip up the stairs, or would you prefer me to carry you?" Kurt asked his boyfriend.

Blaine thought it over for a minute, until deciding that, while it might be more of a pain for Kurt, he really wanted to be held at the moment. And, after all, he was shorter. And Kurt wouldn't have offered if he wasn't up for it. Blaine gave Kurt his sweetest smile before saying,

"Actually... carrying me up to your room doesn't sound like such a bad idea..."

Kurt gave his boyfriend a huge smile before gently sweeping him up into his arms, bridal style, carrying him up to his room, both laughing joyfully the entire way. As they entered Kurt's room, Blaine still in Kurt's arms, both blushing from laughter, Burt couldn't help but smile at the boys, glad they could still find joy in one another after the events that had happened.

Burt excused himself from Kurt's room, giving the two boys privacy to unpack. Burt even went as far as shutting the door behind him, trusting that Blaine was too tired for the pair to get up to anything inappropriate.

* * *

><p>"Soo... how do you like your new room? Is everything to your specifications?" Kurt asked, grinning cheekily at Blaine, while making space in his closet and drawers for Blaine's clothes.<p>

Blaine, who was laying on Kurt's bed, but still wide awake, answered with a wink,

"Yeah... I guess... I mean, there's nothing special about it, but I suppose I can make do..."

Kurt, pretending to be insulted by Blaine's joking words, gasped and gently tossed a pillow in Blaine's direction, hitting Blaine square in the face.

"Hey! You can't hit me! I have cancer!"

Even though it was said in a joking manner, the mood in the room suddenly shifted. Kurt immediately began apologizing.

"Blaine. Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't even think. And you just got done with surgery... what if I had hurt you? Oh my god! _Did_ I hurt you?"

Blaine instantly regretted his joke, seeing his boyfriend react with such worry. Blaine reached his arms out, motioning for Kurt to come join him on the bed. Kurt gradually made his way over to Blaine, too afraid to get close, in case he might cause any damage to the fragile teen. But Blaine wasn't having it. As soon as Kurt was close enough, Blaine latched on to him and pulled him into to bed with him, both boys wrapped up in one another.

"Baby... shhhh. It's ok. I was only joking. I didn't mean to upset you. You didn't hurt me. I'm fine. I swear. It was only a joke. I'm not so fragile. You don't have to worry." Blaine assured his boyfriend, rubbing soothing circles on Kurt's lower back. Kurt relaxed at his touch, resting his head on Blaine's chest, wrapping his arms gently, but protectively, around Blaine, their legs intertwining.

"I know... I know... I just... I- I'm so scared that you'll end up getting hurt. What if I forget how fragile you are and end up hurting you. We have to worry about this for the next six months. Things aren't going to be normal again for six whole months." Kurt buried his head deeper into Blaine's chest, breathing in Blaine's scent in hopes that it would calm him down. It did... but only a little.

"Kurt... I don't know what to say. Yeah, things are going to be different. But only for six months. Yeah, I'm going to have to be careful... but only for six months. And I trust you. You're not going to hurt me. I'm sure of this. So stop worrying so much and don't be afraid to hold on to me even tighter. In fact, I think I might prefer it if you did." Blaine said with a small giggle at the end. Kurt complied to his request, holding on to Blaine even tighter, bringing their bodies even closer together.

"Kurt, baby, how about this. Let's talk about what we'll do after all of this is over."

Kurt lifted his head, looking into Blaine's eyes, unshed tears glistening in his blue/green eyes.

"Well, we'll live in New York City," Kurt began.

"Obviously" Blaine said, nodding his head in agreement. Blaine continued,

"And we'll have a pent house, with a room for all of my instruments... the piano, guitar, violin, cello, harmonica..."

"A room for your harmonica? Seriously, Blaine?"

"What? My harmonica is very important to me. How else am I going to back you up when you sing the Beatles?"

"True, true..." Kurt said, laughing at his crazy boyfriend.

"And since I get a room for my music, you should get a craft room. You can bedazzle everything we own, and design clothes and layouts for your own fashion magazine- Kurtsie."

"Kurtsie? Where in the world do you come up with your crazy ideas..."

Blaine feigned being insulted,

"Are you trying to tell me that my brilliant ideas aren't fabulous? Kurtsie is an awesome name for your fashion magazine. You have to agree. Come on!"

At this point, Kurt could no longer control his laughter.

"Fine... fine... Kurtsie is a pretty awesome name. Now I'm just scared of what you're going to name our kids-"

Kurt broke off the end of his sentence, realizing what he had just said.. that he wanted kids with Blaine. But Blaine wasn't phased at all.

"Sami if it's a girl, Harry if it's a boy."

Blaine smiled down at his boyfriend, and Kurt couldn't hide the love showing on his face, even if he wanted to.

"You are such a dork, Blaine Anderson. And I love you... so, so much."

Blaine leaned over to give his boyfriend a gentle kiss on the lips, before returning the sentiment.

"I love you too, Kurt Hummel."

Both boys continued to smile at one another, before Blaine continued,

"It's going to happen, you know."

Kurt scrunched up his face in confusion,

"What is?"

"Our future." Blaine responded with a shrug.

Kurt pulled Blaine down for another kiss, this one still gentle, but more passionate. Then, the two boys snuggled even closer together and fell asleep in each others arms, thoughts of a future together filling their dreams... and all thoughts of cancer far, far away.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Ahhhh, happy happy Klaine! I just can't keep them sad and angsty for long at all... hahaha.

A bit of a time jump in the next chapter... Blaine will be starting chemo. More angst to come. But don't worry, there will be more happy times like this in Klaine's future. :)

Reviews=me loving you forever. I'd love to know what you think :)


	8. Back to the doctor

The next few weeks passed quickly and easily for the young couple. Blaine began to get his strength back after about a week, during which Kurt babied him to no end, never allowing Blaine to leave his bed. Blaine, of course, was beginning to get restless, and was relieved when he was able to convince Kurt to allow him to venture downstairs, and, eventually, outdoors.

Kurt and Blaine were inseparable during those fun-filled weeks, clinging to one another as all new couples do, enjoying the beginning of summer at playgrounds and malls- that is, once Kurt was satisfied that Blaine was strong enough to go out.

But, unfortunately, the boys could not control time, and, before they knew it, their weeks of fun were over and it was time for Blaine to go back to Dr. Patrick.

* * *

><p>"Hello there Blaine, Kurt, Burt. It's nice to see you all again. Well, not nice under these circumstances, but I imagine today will be a lot smoother than the last time I saw you. We're just going to do a basic check-up today in order to determine if Blaine is healed enough start chemotherapy in a few weeks. We'll get to take those stitches out of you from surgery, as well, Blaine." Dr. Patrick greeted the trio into the examination room, shaking each of their hands as they all piled in.<p>

The room was a bit cramped with everyone in there, but Dr. Patrick was grateful that Blaine had this family in his life, and he was sure Blaine was grateful for it as well. But, unfortunately, he wouldn't have enough space to examine Blaine with everyone in the room, and he figured Blaine would like the privacy, so he kindly asked Burt and Kurt to sit in the waiting room for just a few minutes while he examined Blaine's stitches.

Burt nodded his head and left the room, having to literally drag a reluctant Kurt out with him.

"It's ok, baby. You'll be just outside. I can survive for a few minutes on my own." Blaine said, reassuringly, giving his boyfriend a sweet smile.

This eased Kurt and made it easier for Burt to drag him out of the room.

* * *

><p>Kurt and Burt anxiously waited in the waiting room, both nervous, hoping that the news would be good, but also secretly hoping for any excuse to prolong the chemotherapy, even though they knew, deep down, Blaine would be better off in the long run having been through it. Not a word was exchanged between the two, both men in their own heads, worrying about Blaine.<p>

Dr. Patrick interrupted their thoughts after about 10 minutes, welcoming the boys back into the room with Blaine. Blaine was all smiles.

"Check it out, Kurt!" Blaine said excitedly, lifting up his shirt. "I get this awesome scar from the stitches!"

Kurt couldn't help but laugh at how adorable his boyfriend was in that moment.

"That's great, Blaine." Kurt said, appeasing the older boy.

Blaine's face fell a little at this.

"Great? I was hoping you would think it was hot. I mean, come on... how bad ass is this scar?"

Kurt smiled, walking over to his boyfriend, grabbing Blaine's chin gently and tilting his head up to give him a short peck on the lips, aware of the doctor and his dad in the room.

"You're right, sweetie. It's hot. Supermegafoxyawesomehot, even."

Blaine smiled up brightly at Kurt.

Dr. Patrick hated to interrupt this moment, but he had other patients to see and he still needed to go over the chemotherapy with Blaine and the others. Dr. Patrick cleared his throat, causing the room to turn their attention to him. Kurt stepped back from Blaine, but Blaine reached over to grab Kurt's hand before he could get too far away.

"Well, Blaine's body is completely healed. There were no problems, his stitches did their job and there were no complications with the healing process, which means we can go ahead and get you started with chemo in, say... about two weeks. Starting then, Blaine, you will come in once every four weeks for the next six months, as well as coming in once the week before chemo and the week after to get blood work done. As I told you last time we talked, it will take about a week after each chemo for you to get your strength back, and even then, you won't be completely at full health until these six months are over."

Blaine clung to Kurt's hand even tighter.

"While you are going through chemo, you will lose your hair. I would just like to point out the plus-side of this... no more shaving." Dr. Patrick continued, trying to lighten up the mood a little.

"You will need to avoid people who are sick, or wear a mask if you go out in public the week after you undergo chemo treatment, although I doubt you will be up for going out. Food will taste different to you. Foods you like now, you will probably hate. You will get sick, not be able to move without aches, and will need to keep a constant flow of pain killers in your system for the entire week after chemo. This means waking up in the middle of the night to take the medication. I believe that's all I have to tell you. The receptionist up front can schedule the exact day and time you'll come in for your first chemo on your way out, unless you have any questions for me."

Blaine looked over at Kurt, then at the doctor.

"Can... can Kurt come with me to chemo? I mean, if that doesn't interfere with school too much." Blaine added the last part, glancing over to Kurt's dad.

Dr. Patrick smiled at Blaine, knowing that this question was coming, and feeling silly for not addressing it before.

"Of course, Blaine. While we do not encourage having multiple people come with the patients, bringing just Kurt along should be just fine."

Burt stepped in,

"As long as we get you scheduled to come in during the afternoon, I don't see any problem with Kurt coming with you. Maybe it would be a good opportunity for you boys to work on homework."

Kurt and Blaine smiled at each other. Sure, none of this sounded like much fun, but at least they would be able to stick together throughout it all.

* * *

><p>Back at home, Kurt and Blaine immediately ran up to their room, in order to talk about everything they had learned that day at the doctor's office.<p>

"Are you sure you'll still love me when I'm bald?" Blaine joked.

Kurt laughed.

"Hey, anything's got to be better than the loads of gel you put in your hair now. It might be a nice change."

Blaine pretended to be insulted by Kurt's words, giving Kurt a slight playful shove, but, on the inside, he was extremely grateful that his boyfriend was being so supportive.

"And besides," Kurt continued. "Look on the bright side. I heard that hair grows back curly after chemo."

Blaine paused for a second, a serious expression suddenly coming onto his face. He looked up into Kurt's eyes.

"Kurt, I have a confession to make. My hair is already curly. In fact, it's straight up ringlets. That's why I put so much hair gel in my hair. It can't be tamed. I'm kind of self-conscious about it."

Kurt was shocked. And slightly turned on. He had always had a thing for curly hair.

"How did I not know this? We've been sharing a bed for three weeks. I mean... I was wondering why you kept sleeping with gel in your hair, but... wow. Ca-can I see it? I mean... before it's all gone. I'd love to see it."

Blaine hesitantly nodded, told Kurt to wait in the room, then went to the bathroom to run water from the sink over his head. Blaine shouted through the closed bathroom door,

"Are you sure about this? What you are about to witness can never been unseen."

Kurt just giggled, and urged his boyfriend to come out of the bathroom already!

Blaine slowly opened the bathroom door and peeked his head around the corner. Kurt gasped in shock.

Holy shit. His boyfriend was even hotter than he was two minutes ago. How was that possible?

"Blaine Anderson. You are never to put gel in your hair ever again. Do you understand me?"

And then Kurt pounced on his boyfriend, straddling him onto the bed, kissing him aggressively.

Blaine responded eagerly before pulling back, raising an eyebrow at Kurt in surprise.

"Hey," Kurt said. "As far as I know, we won't be able to do this again for a while, so we might as well get it out of our systems now."

Blaine couldn't argue with that logic- as if he would ever argue against Kurt kissing him like that.

Kurt lifted Blaine's shirt up and began placing feather-light kisses to Blaine's scar.

"You were right. That scar is pretty hot." Kurt said in a deep, husky voice.

Blaine moaned under him, then pulled Kurt back up to him to give him a passionate kiss. He was going to make the best of this while he still could.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **This is the last chapter I pound cancer/chemo information into your heads. I swear! Lol. I felt it was necessary to understanding the story, though. But from here on out, it will be 100% Klaine drama, angst, and romance. I promise.

And I know I said Blaine would be starting chemo in this chapter, but as I was writing it, Kurt and Blaine just weren't up for that yet. They were basically screaming at me to make-out first. So, there you have it.

However, chemo will DEFINITELY be starting in the next chapter. I am sure of this.

One last note: SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED! You guys rock my world and I'm glad you like the story! I LOVE YOU ALL! -hugs and butterfly kisses-


	9. Chemo

Just like the weeks before the visit to Dr. Patrick, the next two weeks also flew by. The boys enjoyed their last days of fun summer as much as possible, going outdoors as often as they could, and trying to involve themselves with things that they knew they wouldn't be able to do again for a while.

Before they knew it, it was the night before Blaine's first chemo. As the boys laid in bed together, bodies buried completely under the covers, wrapped up in one another after their nightly make-out session- a ritual that they had developed over the past few weeks- worrying thoughts began to cloud their minds. Blaine was the first to speak his thoughts aloud.

"I'm scared, Kurt." He whispered to the younger boy.

Kurt began to gently rub circles along Blaine's lower back, attempting to provide some comfort to his boyfriend.

"Me too." Kurt replied, equally as quiet, as if any loud noise might disrupt this moment.

After a few more moments of quiet thought, Blaine asked,

"What do you think it will be like? What if I can't handle it?"

Kurt was quick to answer.

"You can handle it. You're the strongest person I've ever met. You can handle anything. I'm sure of this. And if it ever feels like too much, just remember that I'll be right there. You can lean on me. Ask of me anything and I will provide as best I can. I promise you. I love you so much, Blaine. You're my world, and I hate to think of you going through this, but it's just a hurdle we'll have to jump together. We'll do the best we can."

Blaine relaxed a bit at Kurt's words, although it was impossible to dismiss his worries completely. Kurt understood, because he was still scared too. But there was nothing they could do about it, so they closed their eyes and, eventually, fell asleep, holding one another as tightly as they could, both afraid to let go.

* * *

><p>The morning of Blaine's first chemo, Burt tried to make sure both boys were as comfortable and at ease as possible. He even made breakfast for the boys- all he could manage was toast, but he was damn proud of it anyway. Burt was upset that he wouldn't be able to be there for Blaine, but he knew there wasn't much he would be able to do during the actual chemotherapy anyway. He had looked it up on-line and discovered that the actual part of getting chemotherapy was easy and actually pretty boring. The week following chemo was the hard part, and Burt would make sure to be there when it counted. Regardless, he knew this would be a nerve-wracking experience, and he felt bad that the young boys would have to deal with it on their own. But alas, Burt had his car shop to run, and the doctor seemed to only want one person to go with Blaine, and Burt knew there was no way he could convince his son to leave the young boy's side.<p>

Burt was so proud of his son for dealing with all of this so maturely. He was proud that he had raised his son right, although he could hardly take all the credit. He always knew Kurt had a big heart, and he was happy to see someone return the boy's feelings, for once. Burt loved Blaine like his own son, and was glad the two teenagers had found one another.

But now this cancer thing had happened... Why did bad things have to happen to such good, loving people? Not just the cancer, but the bullying and the hatred aimed at them. But Burt knew they would make it through, if they held onto one another. And Burt didn't have a doubt in his mind- what the boys felt was real, and they would last. And one day, Blaine would truly become a part of the family.

* * *

><p>Blaine and Kurt were greeted with a warm smile from a nice looking older lady working the front desk in the chemo ward. The great thing about this woman was that she gave this smile directed at them regardless of the fact that Kurt and Blaine were currently holding hands, standing shoulder to shoulder. Kurt sighed in relief. At least they wouldn't have to worry about homophobia while at the hospital.<p>

"Hi. I'm Blaine Anderson. I'm here for chemotherapy. This is my boyfriend Kurt. He'll be staying with me."

The nurse shuffled through some files on her desk and typed something into her computer, then looked up at the boys again, still all smiles.

"Hello, Blaine. Kurt. You're right on time. Perfect! If you will just take a seat in the waiting room, your nurse, Jamie, will be with you shortly."

Kurt and Blaine walked over to a couch in the waiting room, sitting down as close together as possible, still holding hands. They remained completely silent, not sure what was the proper thing to say while waiting for someone's first chemo treatment to begin. Luckily, they did not have to wait long before they heard a woman calling out,

"Blaine Anderson?"

The boys quickly stood and walked over to her, greeting her with polite hellos.

"You boys look scared to death." Jamie joked,

"But you have nothing to worry about. I promise. We tend to hundreds of patients a day, and the actual process of getting chemo is completely harmless. In fact, Blaine, you'll probably end up falling asleep, from all of the medicine in your system, within the first hour."

Both boys relaxed at these reassuring words, glad to hear that it would be fairly painless and easy.

"Now if you'll follow me, we just need to draw some blood from you, Blaine, then we'll get you hooked up to an IV."

Kurt and Blaine followed Jamie into the back room, passing by many cubicles- some filled with computers and desks, some filled with empty chairs and tables covered in needles and bandages, and some filled with patients being tended to.

They entered one of the cubicles filled with needles, and Jamie quickly took Blaine's blood. They then walked down the hall even further, and ended up in a large, open room, with some smaller, private rooms off to the side.

"Ok. You have two options here. You can either take a seat in the large open space and visit with your neighbors, or you can get a private room to yourselves. The choice is yours."

Kurt glanced over at Blaine in order to see what he wanted to do, but Blaine's eyes were glued to something across the room. Kurt followed his line of vision and saw an older couple glaring down at something between the boys. And oh... Kurt and Blaine were still holding hands and, apparently, not everyone approved. Looks like Kurt was wrong in thinking that he wouldn't have to worry about homophobia here.

Blaine eventually looked over at Kurt, to see that Kurt had seen the old couple too. Kurt glanced back up at Blaine, nodded his head, then said,

"I think we'll take that private room."

Jamie walked them to the one furthest away from the old couple, and shut the door behind her.

"I'm sorry about that, you guys." She said.

Kurt and Blaine both looked up at her in confusion.

"I saw the couple too." She explained,

"Some people are just so ignorant. But I think it's great that you two are together and have one another to lean on during this. You'll need it. Never let people like that bring you down."

The boys smiled at her, then took their seats, ready to get this done and over with.

Jamie began sticking various needles into Blaine, while Kurt held onto Blaine's hand, squeezing it to remind Blaine that he was there. Once all the wires were set up, Jamie hooked up the chemo IV. She glanced at the label on it before saying,

"Well, looks like you're all set. This drip is set to run for about four hours. I'll drop by once every hour to check in on you, and if you need anything, I'll be right outside, so come find me. Blaine, if you begin to feel drowsy, that's perfectly normal. I'll be back soon, you two!"

And that was that. Jamie was gone. The chemo had officially started. And it was just Kurt and Blaine.

* * *

><p>Blaine and Kurt chatted lightly for a bit, at first. Then, once Blaine started to feel a bit drowsy, he suggested that Kurt read Vogue out loud to him. Kurt complied, then laughed when, not fifteen minutes later, Blaine was softly snoring. Jamie was right, it appeared. Getting chemo was completely harmless.<p>

'Maybe this won't be too bad after all...' Kurt thought, then continued to silently flip through his Vogue magazine.

* * *

><p>Kurt had spoken too soon. Chemo was bad. It was <em>really<em>, _really_ bad.

When he and Blaine had gotten home from chemo the day before, Blaine had seemed fine. The boys went upstairs and watched Moulin Rouge and ate popcorn and even got in a pillow fight after Blaine convinced Kurt that he really was feeling just fine, aside from still being a bit drowsy from the medicine. They fell asleep together in a peaceful sleep, not a concern on either of their minds.

But around 5 in the morning, Kurt woke up to the sound of groaning and crying. He immediately jerked up and looked at his boyfriend, who was curled up in a ball, lightly sobbing.

"Blaine? Blaine, sweetie, are you ok? What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

Blaine continued to cry for a minute before eventually mumbling,

"Everywhere. It hurts everywhere."

Kurt instantly jumped out of bed and ran to his dresser to grab Blaine's pain killers. He bounded down the stairs to grab a glass of water, then, two steps at a time, ran back upstairs to Blaine. He gently rolled Blaine over onto his back and pulled him up, so that Blaine's back was against Kurt's chest. He handed Blaine the pills and the water, urging him to drink them down, hoping that they would help relieve some of the pain as soon as possible. Blaine took the medicine, then continued to cry, Kurt holding him, gently running his fingers through Blaine's hair, whispering hushed reassurances to his suffering boyfriend, until Blaine eventually fell back to sleep.

Well, Kurt had learned his first lesson. Always make Blaine take painkillers the night of chemo, regardless of how he's feeling at the time of going to sleep. He would just have to remember that for next time so that his boyfriend wouldn't have to suffer that much again.

Kurt was unable to fall back asleep. Too many thoughts were rushing around in his head, and he would hate to be asleep in case Blaine were to wake up and need him again. So Kurt sat in his bed, holding Blaine against him, watching him sleep... Blaine's face contorting in pain as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

Eventually, though, Kurt had to wake Blaine. They had a doctor's appointment at 9 AM for Blaine to get more blood work done, and they would have to set off to the hospital soon if they were going to make it on time.

Kurt leaned down and gently whispered in Blaine's ear,

"Blaine, sweetie... you need to wake up. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. But we need to go to the doctor. I promise as soon as we're done you can go back to sleep."

Blaine grunted, but refused to move. Kurt, not knowing what to do, decided to scoot out from under Blaine and go downstairs to get his dad.

"Dad?" Kurt said, spying his dad in the kitchen, pouring himself a bowl of cereal.

"What's up, kiddo? How's Blaine doing this morning? Doesn't he have a doctor's appointment in about an hour?"

"That's the problem, dad. He's sick this morning. He woke up around 5, crying, so I gave him some painkillers, but now he won't get up. I think it hurts him too much to move. But we have to get him to the doctor. What do I do?"

Burt thought for a second, before telling Kurt not to worry and just go get himself ready. He would take care of Blaine.

Kurt and Burt walked back up to Kurt's room together. Kurt grabbed his clothes, then set off to the bathroom to get ready.

Burt walked over to the bed, and gently nudged Blaine's shoulder. Blaine flinched back in pain, groaning again.

"Blaine... I'm sorry you're feeling like this, kid, but you've got to go to the doctor. I'm going to help you get dressed, if that's ok with you."

Blaine grunted, and Burt took this as a yes. Burt headed to the closet and grabbed whatever looked like belonged to Blaine, hoping that Kurt would approve of his fashion choice, and figuring Blaine wouldn't be alert enough to care either way. Burt gently stripped off Blaine's pajamas, then dressed the boy with the tender care a father would treat his sick child with. About the time Burt was finishing up with Blaine, Kurt came back into the room, quietly thanking his dad for helping him out.

Burt then picked up Blaine and carried him downstairs, Kurt following at his heels, saying repeatedly,

"Oh! Please be careful, dad! You're jostling him! Make sure he's comfortable! Be careful! Be gentle!"

Normally, Burt would be annoyed at his son's pleads, but he couldn't help but smile at the love and care Kurt so obviously had for his boyfriend.

Burt placed Blaine gently in the passenger seat of Kurt's car, buckling Blaine in as Kurt crawled into the driver's seat.

"You sure you'll be ok going on your own, son? You can handle it?"

Blaine had begun to perk up a little throughout this whole ordeal, the pain killers obviously beginning to take their effect, and responded to Burt before Kurt could, saying,

"We'll be fine, Mr. Hummel. Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it. I'm sorry I'm such a pain."

Burt smiled gently at the young boy before replying,

"Burt. Call me Burt, son. And you're not a pain at all. Glad to see you doing a bit better. Drive safe, Kurt."

Kurt nodded, then set off for the hospital, hoping that the worst of the morning was over.

It wasn't. About halfway to the hospital, Blaine suddenly shouted,

"PULL OVER!"

Kurt did so immediately, and before he had even put the car in park, Blaine had opened the door and was leaning out, puking. Kurt figured the nausea had set in. He had done some reading on chemo a few days before and read that it was normal for a chemo patient to feel sick. Kurt leaned over and rubbed Blaine's back silently while Blaine emptied the contents of his stomach onto the side of the road. Once he was finished, he wordlessly leaned back into the car, re-buckled his seat belt, and motioned for Kurt to continue driving. Kurt did.

* * *

><p>Kurt all but carried Blaine into the hospital, and got him a wheelchair as soon as he entered the front doors, pushing Blaine the rest of the way. Getting blood drawn took about 5 minutes, and when Kurt mentioned Blaine's nausea, the nurse quickly gave them medication to help him deal with it. Blaine took two pills immediately, hoping that would help him with the drive back home.<p>

Once home again, Blaine went straight back upstairs and into bed. Kurt tried to follow right behind him, but Burt held him back in order to talk to him for a minute downstairs.

"How are you doing, Kurt? How did the trip to the hospital go?"

Kurt collapsed onto the sofa before responding.

"I'm tired. And scared. And sad, dad. I hate seeing him in so much pain. He threw up on the side of the road on the way to the hospital, and I practically had to carry him in, and that was all _after_ he took his pain killers this morning. The nurse gave him something for the nausea, so hopefully we won't have to worry about him getting sick anymore. But I just hate seeing him like this... and it's only the beginning."

Burt walked over and sat next to Kurt on the couch, pulling him into a hug.

"I know, son. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this."

Burt paused,

"You really love him... I can tell. And when you love someone like that, you'll do anything to take care of them and make them happy. But... just make sure you look out for yourself too, ok? It can really take a toll on someone, seeing the love of their life suffer like that. I went through it with your mother, so I understand. But just remember that I'm here for you. I love you, son, and I want you to take care of yourself."

Kurt nodded, squeezed his dad tighter, then got up and headed upstairs to check on Blaine.

* * *

><p>When Kurt got upstairs, Blaine was already asleep. Kurt glanced over at the nightstand next to the bed and saw that the painkiller bottle was open and a half-drunk glass of water sat next to it. Kurt looked back over to Blaine and noticed that Blaine was silently crying in his sleep. Kurt just looked at Blaine, his heart breaking, not knowing what he could do to help.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Don't really have much to say about this chapter. It's all pretty self-explanatory. lol.

Preview for Chapter 10- another time jump... summer is coming to an end and more side effects for chemo start to settle in. The boys wonder how they'll manage all of this once school starts. Lots and lots of angst. :)

Reviews are always welcome!


	10. Days of summer

That week flew by in much the same fashion. Every morning, Blaine would run to the bathroom and get sick, then come back to the bed and cry. Both boys were exhausted, both physically and mentally. Blaine had trouble sleeping, which meant Kurt didn't want to sleep, and when they could finally sleep, they both had to wake up around 3 AM so Blaine could take more painkillers. Kurt hated having to wake Blaine up, sad that he was disturbing the boy who so desperately needed rest, but he knew that Blaine would be much worse in the morning if he didn't.

It seemed like all Blaine did during that week was cry. Blaine felt so weak and sore, crying was all he was capable of doing. Cry through the pain and the agony and the sleep-deprivation. So Kurt cried with him. He held him and stayed up with him through the night and and cried at the sight of someone he loved in so much pain.

And then, exactly one week after chemo, Blaine woke up to a pillowcase covered in hair. His hair had fallen out from the chemo. He was completely bald. He knew this was going to happen eventually, but just didn't think it would be so soon. Kurt stirred awake after hearing Blaine gasp, and instantly wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, placing a sweet kiss to the top of Blaine's bald head. And again, he simply held Blaine as he cried, wishing that he could make everything alright.

Once that week was over, things began to go back to normal. Blaine regained a lot of strength, stopped aching so much, and was able to nap during the day, in order to make up for having to wake up throughout the night to take medication.

About two weeks after chemo, Kurt decided that he would make a picnic for Blaine that they could enjoy in the backyard. Kurt put together all of Blaine's new favorite foods, which had taken a few days of experimenting to discover, grabbed Blaine's hand, then walked out to the backyard, finding shade under a tree for the boys to sit.

Blaine was feeling much better by now, and enjoyed being able to have a normal date with his boyfriend for the first time in what felt like forever. He couldn't believe it had only been two weeks since things had been completely normal between them. Those past two weeks had been agonizingly slow and painful, and Blaine hated to talk about them, but he felt it needed to be discussed before his next chemo treatment. So, after about an hour of light conversation between the boys, during which they ate, then laid out in the sun, side by side, hand in hand, Blaine brought up the topic they had been avoiding.

"I'm sorry, Kurt."

Kurt was confused. The boys had just been discussing Audrey Hepburn and how fabulous she was in Breakfast at Tiffany's. What in the world was Blaine sorry about?

Kurt turned his head to look at Blaine with curious eyes.

"Blaine, what in the world are you talking about?"

Blaine hesitated before continuing,

"I'm talking about how sorry I am for these past few weeks. I'm sorry that I kept you up every night and that I cried all the time and constantly got sick and that my appetite changed and that I never got out of bed..."

Kurt cut Blaine off with a sudden kiss. The first real kiss the boys had shared since chemo had started. Blaine savored the moment, grabbing the back of Kurt's head and pulling him in closer, deepening the kiss. Kurt eventually pulled back, saying,

"Blaine... sweetie. You have nothing to apologize for. Yeah, these past few weeks have been rough. But we knew they would be. Sure, I didn't realize they would be quite this bad, but... I don't want you to worry about it. I just want you to worry about getting better after each chemo treatment so we can have thousands more moments like this. Ok?"

Blaine nodded, then pulled Kurt back in for another kiss. The boys continued to lay in the backyard for the remainder of the day, going back to the fun conversation that they normally had on dates, and just enjoying being together and healthy.

But Kurt couldn't help but still worry. He was tired. Dead tired. A lot more tired than he had let Blaine think. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and was not looking forward to having to do this again and in just a week and a half. And then, what about when school started back up? Who would be there for Blaine while Kurt was at school? How would Kurt balance school work and taking care of Blaine all through the night? How would Blaine handle going to school when he could? How would the other students treat Blaine? Surely they wouldn't bully him for being gay while he was going through chemo. Surely they would take pity on the poor boy and just focus their attentions on Kurt, instead. Kurt wasn't sure if he could handle four whole months of dealing with Blaine's chemo and school, and he had no idea how Blaine would handle it either.

But Kurt tried to clear his mind of these thoughts and focus on his boyfriend, who was currently alive and well, laying next to him in his backyard, rambling away about Harry Potter and Quidditch, and Kurt couldn't help but smile, hoping for many more moments just like this.

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><p>Summer flew by in much the same pattern as that first chemo treatment, except the boys gained better control of the situation, coming up a plan for taking care of Blaine, but also getting more and more exhausted as the weeks went by. After Blaine's second chemo treatment in July, they began to understand which days would be the worst for Blaine after chemo, how long it would take him to recover, what foods Blaine liked while on chemo, and when the best times to nap were. But all of this was about to be disrupted with school starting back in just two short weeks. Kurt's worries from that afternoon in the backyard with Blaine returned, but he did not voice them out loud to either Blaine or Burt.<p>

Finn began to notice something was up with his step-brother, though. One day, near the end of summer, Finn came up to Kurt's room, where Kurt was currently whispering soothing words to his aching boyfriend, who had just gotten another chemo treatment four days before and still hadn't fully recovered. Finn asked quietly if he could speak to Kurt outside for a minute, and Kurt reluctantly agreed, whispering to Blaine that he would be right back.

"What's up, Finn? Can you make this fast?" Kurt said, upon entering the living room and taking a seat on the couch.

Finn sat in a chair on the other side of the living room, then looked up at Kurt with serious eyes before saying,

"Kurt, I'm worried about you. I've never seen you this tired. Not even when Burt was in the hospital. And you've lost a lot of weight. I'm concerned you're not getting enough sleep and that this situation with Blaine is taking a lot bigger toll on you than you're letting on."

Kurt was shocked at Finn's words. He hadn't realized that his concerns had been so visible to the outside world, and his love for Finn grew a little more at his kind words of concern.

"Finn... I appreciate you looking out for me... but I don't know what else to do. I have to take care of Blaine. I promised him I would be there for him. I promised him."

Finn hurriedly responded,

"I know you did. But, don't you think you could let other people in the house help you out every now and then? You seem to be taking care of him just by yourself all the time. I know Burt and mom have to work a lot, but if you need my help, just let me know. I won't mind."

Kurt smiled at his step-brother.

"Thank you. I really do appreciate that. But, like I said, I promised Blaine that _I_ would be there for him. I don't trust anyone else to take care of him with the love and affection that he deserves. But I'll remember what you said."

Finn bowed his head down in defeat, hoping that one day Kurt would realize how crazy it was for him to be taking care of the sick boy all by himself. Maybe it would take Kurt hitting rock bottom before he realized it, but, until then, Finn would keep an eye on his step-brother, hoping that he would make it through this unharmed.

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><p><strong>AN: **Ugh, this chapter feels so short compared to the last one, but I really wanted to get through summer and get started with school. Next chapter will finally have the rest of the Glee club in it.

Andddd, I finally figured out how long this fic will be (about 15 chapters) and I know exactly where I want to go with this story from this point on, so the rest should be written fairly quickly. However, my best friend is coming to visit me tomorrow and stay with me through the weekend, and I have, like, 20 papers to write this weekend, so I'll update when I can.

Again, reviews are awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed! You guys are amazing and I love you.


	11. McKinley

Luckily, Blaine's chemo schedule worked out so that he would be able to attend the first day of school, which was now less than a week away. Blaine was excited and nervous about attending McKinley, but was glad to at least know Kurt, Finn, Rachel, and Mercedes. And, of course, he would be trying out for New Directions. He hoped Mr. Schuester would understand his frequent absences, and that the group would still accept him anyway.

Blaine had spent the last week of summer rehearsing a song to audition with. Kurt thought it was silly that Blaine was worrying over being accepted to New Directions. Kurt had never heard anyone with a more beautiful and angelic voice. Sure, Blaine wouldn't be able to make it to as many rehearsals as the other students, but he had the talent to make up for it. But Kurt was glad that Blaine finally had something to take his mind off of chemo and cancer. He couldn't remember that last time he had heard Blaine sing, and he couldn't believe how much he had missed hearing that voice. He couldn't believe he had forgotten how beautiful Blaine sounded when he really got into a song.

Soon, the last week of summer was done, and it was the morning of the first day of school. Burt had made a few phone calls to the school in order to arrange Kurt and Blaine's schedule so that the boys had all the same classes together, that way Kurt could keep an eye on Blaine and easily be able to help the boy catch up on missed classes and assignments.

Kurt and Blaine had also gone shopping for Blaine to get some new clothes for Blaine, since he would no longer be wearing the Dalton uniform. Kurt had picked out some fabulous hats for Blaine to wear, as well. Blaine was still a bit self-conscious about his bald head, even though Kurt reassured him time and time again that he could pull off the look. But Blaine didn't want the other students to be able to tell that he had cancer just by looking at him. Sure, New Directions and the teachers would know, but he didn't want special treatment from anyone else.

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><p>The second Kurt and Blaine walked through the front doors of McKinley, hand in hand, Rachel and Mercedes were instantly by their side, talking about how excited they were to have Blaine be joining them at school and in New Directions. Santana was next to greet them, mentioning that if anyone gave either of the boys a hard time, to let her know and she would kick some serious Lima ass. Sam, Puck, and Finn walked with them to class, glaring at anyone who so much as looked at the boys the wrong way, threatening them with their eyes if someone seemed to even be thinking about making a move to harm the two teenagers.<p>

Kurt and Blaine relaxed a lot at having so much care and protection from their fellow glee club members. At least Kurt wouldn't have to worry about that.

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><p>Kurt, however, was wrong. It was the break right before glee club rehearsal at the end of their first day, and, so far, they had made it through the day without a single problem. But then, it came out of nowhere. An ice-cold, grape flavored slushie. Kurt and Blaine both hissed in pain, feeling like they had been bitch-slapped by an iceberg. But then, it was the other students around them gasping. Kurt looked around, surprised that the other students had even reacted. Normally, they just went about their business as if nothing had happened at all. Then Kurt saw what they were gasping about. When Blaine was slushied, his hat had fallen off, revealing his bald scalp. The students had put two and two together.<p>

Kurt now felt that it was once again safe to think that he and Blaine would be safe from bullies. He knew that bullies didn't mess with Artie because he was in a wheelchair, so he figured the same rules would apply to a young boy with cancer.

Kurt quickly grabbed Blaine's arm and his hat from off the ground and rushed them into the closest bathroom to clean them off.

Blaine was shivering from the cold.

"Keep your eyes closed, Blaine. Trust me... if it gets in your eyes, it will sting like a bitch."

Blaine just nodded, but didn't say a word, still gently shivering.

Kurt cleaned Blaine off, then took care of himself. Blaine reached out a hand to help him, but Kurt shook him off, not wanting Blaine to worry about him. He needed to be strong for Blaine.

The boys left the bathroom hand in hand and set off for the auditorium so that Blaine could audition for glee club. Kurt was glad that this incident had happened right before glee so that Blaine could express himself through song, something both the boys had often done in order to cope with difficult times.

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><p>Blaine made it into New Directions, of course. In fact, Finn was beginning to worry that he would have major competition for a solo at Sectionals this year.<p>

The first week of school, after that first day, of course, went smoothly for both Kurt and Blaine. They passed notes to one another during class, held hands in the hall, sang to one another in glee club, and no one slushied them again.

And then it was Saturday. The day of Blaine's third chemo treatment. Kurt went with him, like he always did, and was there by Blaine's side the entire weekend. Before leaving for school on Monday morning, his first day back at McKinley without Blaine, Kurt made sure that the painkillers and water were right by his bed for Blaine, and that Blaine's cell phone was within reach and fully charged so that the older boy could contact Kurt if he needed him. Kurt would gladly leave school, even in the middle of class, to take care of his boyfriend, if that is what Blaine needed of him.

But Kurt didn't hear from Blaine that day. He did, however, hear from quite a few bullies, who had no problem throwing slushies in his face and yelling hateful slurs at him, now that his cancer-laden boyfriend was nowhere in sight. But Kurt wouldn't tell Blaine this. Blaine had enough to worry about. He didn't need to know that Kurt was daily being tossed into dumpsters, shoved into lockers, and verbally abused regularly.

Every day that week when Kurt came home from school, he would instantly run up to his room and tend to Blaine. He would do his homework while Blaine slept, and stay up through the night with him when Blaine was crying in pain. He refused to let show how much all of this was affecting him. He didn't want anyone to worry about him. He had been through a lot before and was sure that he could take care of himself. He didn't see why he shouldn't be able to take care of Blaine at the same time.

And then Blaine was back at school. The bullying directed toward Kurt stopped once again, and things began to return to normal. Of course, Blaine was tired during that first week back, and had a lot of homework to catch up on, which Kurt helped him with, despite his own heavy workload, and they fell back into a regular routine.

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><p>After another week, Blaine had most of his strength back and he and Kurt were back to normal, enjoying high school among their peers. But Kurt was secretly dreading Blaine's next chemo treatment. He knew it wasn't fair to dread it, when Blaine was the one who would be suffering, but that's part of the reason why Kurt didn't want it the impending date to arrive. He was tired of seeing Blaine suffer. He knew that as soon as he was alone again at McKinley without Blaine by his side, the bullying would once again pick up too. New Directions and teachers didn't notice because they were only concerned with looking out for Blaine, forgetting that bullies had it out for Kurt in the past.<p>

Kurt was exhausted, and didn't know how he would keep up with his own workload at school while taking care of Blaine all afternoon and into the night, then help him catch up on his homework the week after. There was only so much he could handle. But he had made a promise to Blaine. He had promised that he would be there for him. And Kurt never went back on his promises.

So Kurt didn't complain. He kept a smile on his face and supported his boyfriend, did well in all of his classes, and competed for solos in glee club. No one knew how much he was breaking inside.

And then Kurt's world fell apart. It was October, and Blaine had just returned to school after a week off to recover from his fourth chemo treatment. Both boys were exhausted, but were trying to push through it to do their best in school.

It was during one particularly exhausting glee rehearsal that Kurt began to notice something was off with Blaine. He seemed a bit sluggish in his movements, and Kurt was pretty sure that he was lip syncing. He wasn't really into the performance either, which was really odd for Blaine, who always went all-out.

Then Blaine began to sway on his feet. Kurt instantly made his way over to his boyfriend to tell him to take it easy and sit out if he needed to. After all, he had just returned to school after his week off for chemo, so his body was still recovering. Kurt was really tired, so he could only imagine how Blaine must have been feeling. But Kurt only made it to his boyfriend just in time to catch him as he passed out unconscious in his arms.

Kurt let out a yelp, then cried out for someone to call 911. Kurt sat on the floor, holding Blaine tightly in his arms, pleading for him to wake up and be ok. He was vaguely aware of two paramedics attempting to loosen Kurt's grip on his boyfriend, lifting Blaine onto a stretcher, and wheeling him away from him.

Kurt jumped up and began to run after them, shouting out, begging them to let him go with them. The paramedics apologized, saying that there was no room in the ambulance and that he should just meet them at the hospital. Kurt collapsed to the ground, crying, watching his boyfriend being wheeled away from him. For the first time since that fateful day at the hospital, Kurt was breaking his promise to Blaine. He wasn't there for him. Even if it was just a for a little while, Kurt was breaking his promise. His heart broke.

He vaguely felt a pair of arms wrap around him, and subconsciously realized that it was Finn providing this action of comfort, but Kurt's only reaction was to whisper, only loud enough for himself to hear,

"Please don't let him die."

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><p><strong>AN:** Ugh, you guys. I'm so tired. I just posted this chapter without even editing it first. lol. Had to go back and make some changes.

I was really stuck on this chapter for some reason too, so I hope it doesn't disappoint. I'm really excited about the next chapter though. In fact, I might go ahead and write it right now... Kurt's going to hit rock bottom, and the sick masochist in me wants to make this happen asap. lol.

Hope you guys liked it! Review and let me know what you think. And again, I love all of you who have reviewed already. You guys are amazing, beautiful people.


	12. Rock bottom

**WARNING: Possible self-harm triggers**. **You be the judge**.

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><p>Blaine ended up being ok. He woke up in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, and the paramedics got some liquids into him. Blaine had simply passed out from exhaustion. By the time Kurt got to the hospital, Blaine was practically good as new. Kurt, however, was not. He was thoroughly shaken. He had been through this fear of losing someone he loved far too many times. First with losing his mom, then almost losing his dad, and now Blaine, the love of his life. Kurt felt like something had broken inside of him, seeing his boyfriend carried away in an ambulance like that.<p>

Kurt was tired, both emotionally and physically. He didn't know how much more he could take. He felt like he had lost all control over his life. In his sleep-deprived state, he wasn't thinking clearly.

That's why when Kurt and Blaine got home later that day, Kurt immediately ran up to his bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Kurt didn't know what he was doing. All he knew was that he needed some kind of release. Some kind of control over his life again. Some way to deal with all the pain he was feeling. That's how he found himself leaning over the sink, staring at his pale, skinny reflection in the mirror, holding a blade that he had torn out of his razor over his wrist.

Kurt didn't want to kill himself. No. That would be selfish. Blaine needed him. Kurt still planned on staying true to his promise to be there for Blaine, even if he wasn't able to keep that promise that afternoon. Kurt just wanted to feel some temporary relief, and he didn't know how else he could deal with his pain right then. In a sick kind of way, Kurt also wanted to punish himself for letting Blaine down that afternoon. He felt responsible for Blaine passing out and being carried away to the hospital by himself.

As the blade touched his skin, the bathroom door suddenly swung up. Kurt had forgotten to lock the door.

Shit.

Blaine stood in the doorway, staring at Kurt in shock, taking in the sight in front of him. Then Blaine was yelling.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!"

Kurt didn't know how to respond, so he just shouted back.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE AND LET ME HAVE THIS ONE THING! WHY BLAINE? JUST LET ME HAVE THIS ONE THING! PLEASE!"

Kurt broke off at the end with a sob, his legs giving out from under him. Blaine lunged forward, catching Kurt before he hit the ground, slowly lowering them down to the floor. Blaine was quick to pry the razor out of Kurt's hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was doing. I'm sorry." Kurt cried out in between gasps for breath, sobbing harder than he had since his dad had been in the hospital.

Blaine just held Kurt in his arms, both boys on the floor, Kurt in Blaine's lap, Blaine rocking them back and forth. Blaine just waited while Kurt cried, tears running down his own face.

"Kurt... I just don't understand why you would want to kill yourself? Why would you want to leave me?"

Kurt began crying even harder at Blaine's words. He took a few minutes to try to calm himself down before responding.

"No, Blaine. I didn't want to kill myself. I just felt so... so lost. So useless. And scared. And depressed. And tired. I'm tired Blaine. I know that's a stupid and selfish thing to say, since you're the one going through chemo. If anyone should be complaining here, it's you. But I can't help it. I just don't know how to deal with this anymore."

Blaine was quick to respond, holding Kurt even tighter.

"You don't have to deal with it alone, Kurt. I know that you promised me in the hospital that you would always be there for me, and you have held up your end of the bargain better than I could have ever expected. You have been perfect throughout all of this. But that's the problem. You haven't been looking out for yourself, and look at where you are now. You shouldn't have pushed yourself to this point. I mean, just look at your right now. You're hurting. You shouldn't be hurting like this. I know I'm the one with cancer in this relationship, but that doesn't mean I can't still be strong for you. I'm only weak one week out of every month. And just because I'm physically weaker doesn't make me any less your boyfriend. This should be a two-sided relationship, and lately, it hasn't been. That's not all your fault. I let you push yourself this hard. But I refuse to just stand by and watch you suffer anymore. I love you and I want to support you like you've been supporting me."

Tears were freely flowing down both of the boys faces now. The two boys clung to one another, sobbing into each others shirts.

"Kurt, baby. We can be strong for each other. You give me the strength I need to carry on, day to day. And I'll give you the strength you need to deal with all of this. Don't push yourself to the point of no return. You just being here... your presence, is all the strength I need. You don't have to try so hard. We'll be alright. I promise. So I want you to promise me that you'll let others help you out every now and then. Ok?"

Kurt nodded into Blaine's shirt. And the boys stayed there on the bathroom floor, crying, holding onto one another as if their lives depended on it. And maybe their lives did depend on it. They depended on one another to survive. As long as they had one another to lean on, Blaine was sure that they would be alright in the end, no matter how many bumps in the road they passed along the way.

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><p><strong>AN: **So there you have it. Short, but intense. It had to happen. Kurt needed to hit rock bottom. Hopefully now things will be better for the two boys. Besides, Blaine only has two chemos left. Let's just hope the cancer doesn't come back...

(btw, this is the first chapter I thought up when I came up with the idea for this story. It's pretty loosely based off of my own life. Not gonna lie... tears were shed as I wrote this. I hope it touched you guys)

OH! Also, I just wanted to mention this because I've gotten a few questions about it. Blaine is bald. Like, totally and completely bald. Happens to most chemo patients about a week or two after their first treatment. Butttt, his hair will grow back. Eventually.


	13. A new plan

A lot of things changed after the day Kurt hit rock bottom, but Kurt and Blaine's relationship remained just as strong as ever, if not stronger. Kurt was no longer alone in taking care of Blaine. After he and Blaine talked for a while on the bathroom floor, just being close to one another and discussing how they felt, they went downstairs together and had a family meeting with Burt, Carole, and Finn, to inform them that the stress of taking care of Blaine was beginning to be too much for Kurt. Finn immediately volunteered his services to help take care of Blaine. He had been waiting for this moment to come.

Burt and Carole decided that they would take turns driving Blaine too and from the hospital on days he went in for blood work, allowing Kurt to take more time at home to rest and study, without having to worry over Blaine while he was there.

And the next day at school, before glee club practice began, Finn stood up at the front of the classroom and asked New Directions to help Kurt and Blaine out. He called on anyone who had classes with Blaine to take notes for the boy when he would be home sick, and arranged a schedule for when certain glee club members would come over to the Hummel-Hudson household to help Blaine catch up on assignments two weeks after chemo, once he was feeling up for schoolwork, of course. Finn also nominated the guys in glee club to help Kurt out with bullies, making sure no one messed with Kurt between classes.

As far as taking care of Blaine the week following his chemo treatment, which was the worst time of the month for Blaine, Finn decided that he and Kurt should take shifts in waking up Blaine in the middle of the night, and that every now and then Kurt should sleep in Finn's room instead of his own, in order for Kurt to get an entire night of peaceful sleep. Finn stayed up late playing video games most nights anyway, so he didn't consider it a hassle to take care of his brother's boyfriend in the middle of the night.

Kurt was sure to give Finn detailed directions on exactly how Blaine should be taken care of, including certain ways to comfort the boy, the times of day that seemed to be the worst, pain-wise, and various other things that Kurt had grown to know during his months of tending to Blaine. Sure, Kurt didn't fully trust anyone besides himself to take care of Blaine with the love and attention that the boy deserved, but, despite his protests, Blaine remained adamant that he would be just fine and that Kurt needed the rest.

Blaine was so grateful to his New Directions family for helping him and Kurt out. He could not believe the amount of love and compassion this group had for one another, helping out a relatively new member in his moment of need.

Blaine just wished that Kurt would stop complaining about not being as involved with taking care of Blaine as he once was. Kurt complained for the last time two weeks after Blaine's second to last chemo treatment. Kurt had gone with Blaine to chemo, like he always had, but during the week after, the only things he really did to help Blaine was cook his meals and occasionally sit with him when he was having a particularly hard day. Besides that, the rest of his family and glee club had taken over all of his old jobs.

Kurt couldn't lie. The much-needed rest he had been able to get due to New Directions helping out with Blaine did not go unappreciated. But he still couldn't help but feel that he wasn't keeping his promise to Blaine. But this time, he decided to talk to Blaine about how he was feeling before he did something rash.

Blaine, who had tried protesting Kurt's complaints before, just decided to laugh off his boyfriend's concerns this time and he pulled the younger boy into a fierce hug.

"Kurt, baby. You can't honestly believe that you're not helping. I mean, sure, you're not doing as much as you did in the past, but that's a good thing. Do I miss you sometimes? Yes. I won't lie. But remember, I need to be strong for you too. This is a two-sided relationship. So I am putting up with not having you take care of me as often and being rewarded for doing so by seeing you happy and healthy. This is a good thing, Kurt."

Kurt sighed. He knew Blaine was right. Kurt was just being stubborn. He knew that the new system they had going was better for everyone. And it's not like they would have to deal with it much longer...

And that's when it hit Kurt.

"Blaine. You know what I just realized? You only have one chemo left."

Blaine smiled, a light reaching his eyes that Kurt hadn't seen there in a long time.

"We're going to make it, baby. We're going to make it."

And for the first time that night, Kurt and Blaine fell asleep with Blaine holding Kurt, instead of the other way around.

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><p><strong>AN: **Short chapter! I sowwy! But isn't Finn, like, the best brother ever. I mean, OMG.

Soooo, since this chapter is so short, the next chapter is going to be up super soon. Like, tonight.

Preview for next chapter: It's almost Christmas! The past six months have flown and now it's finally time for Blaine's last chemo. How will it go? And how will his follow-up appointment with the doctor go? Will he be cancer-free, or will he have to live with this for the rest of his life?


	14. A promise

"Well, Blaine" Kurt said, as they walked into the chemo ward for what they hoped would be the last time ever.

"It's almost done. This is the last time we'll be doing this, if everything goes according to plan. Once we get out of here, what are you gonna do?"

Kurt held out his arm in front of Blaine's mouth, as if he was holding a microphone in Blaine's face.

"I'm going to Disney World!" Blaine enthusiastically replied.

The boys both broke into a fit of giggles.

They knew it was probably inappropriate to laugh in the chemo ward, which they had nickname "the sad depression-filled hole from hell" after their second visit. The mood was always somber in the room, but they just couldn't help but be cheerful today. All they could think about was that this might be the last time they would ever have to do this.

Jamie greeted them warmly, as she always did, but this time she greeted them not only with a smile and small talk about the latest issue of Vogue, which Kurt always had with him to keep him company while Blaine slept, but she had ice cream for the two boys, as well.

Blaine could barely be contained in all of his excitement, which thoroughly amused both Kurt and Jamie.

"I just thought you boys deserved an extra little treat today, with this being your last chemo and everything. Also, I figured this would be a little something for you to remember me by. I know a lot of patients would like nothing more than to just forget their time here... I mean, it is pretty depressing, but you two really touched me, and I loved getting to know both of you. You two are strong. You're going to make it. I can tell. And I would love to think that I could be just a small little part in your big story."

Kurt had teared up at Jamie's words, and was wiping furiously at his eyes with the back of his hand, refusing to cry. So instead, he jumped out of his seat next to Blaine and hugged Jamie, saying he could never forget her kindness during these past six months. Blaine, who didn't quite have the relationship with Jamie that Kurt did, considering he slept through most of his time in the chemo ward, simply smiled at her, shook her hand, and backed up Kurt's thanks.

Then Jamie set to work with hooking up Blaine's last chemo, while the boys lapped happily away at their ice cream, ready to have this over with. Ready for their future to begin.

* * *

><p>It's the last day of school before winter break, and Kurt was antsy as ever. Exams were that week, so he was tired and just ready to go home and spend his three week break with Blaine. Blaine's last chemo was just the week before, so he was still recovering, and, like always, it pained Kurt to not be there with him. Blaine would be taking his exams when he got back from winter break- his teachers had been extremely understanding throughout these past six months, and that didn't change during exam week. Kurt and Blaine decided that Kurt would be the one to help Blaine study, since Kurt would be done with his exams already and, therefore, it wouldn't provide too much stress on the young boy. Plus, Kurt would have the upper hand on the exams, having already taken them, so he would be able to tell Blaine exactly what to study.<p>

Kurt was in his last class of the day before winter break officially started, and he had already finished his exam, so he was just sitting there, waiting for the rest of the class to finish so that the teacher could dismiss them. Kurt was staring at the wall, mind lost in the middle of a daydream involving him and Blaine and an elaborate wedding, when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket, causing him to slightly jump out of his seat.

Kurt pulled the phone out of his pocket and looked at it under his desk. It was from Blaine.

Kurt's heart immediately began to beat a mile a minute. He made sure to tell Blaine every morning before he went to school without him to call him if he needed him for anything. But Blaine had never once texted him, always too weak to even pick up the phone. Blaine usually just slept all day on those days of recovery, only waking up to take his pain killers and go back to sleep.

But Blaine's chemo had been four days ago, so he should have been on the side of recovery at this point. And he had seemed to be doing alright when Kurt had left him this morning. He couldn't possibly figure out what Blaine needed him for.

Kurt opened up the text, and physically had to restrain himself from laughing out loud.

_Hey there sexy. I miss you! Can't wait for you to be home soon so we can spend these three weeks together. It will be just like the beginning of summer. -Blaine_

Kurt smiled to himself. So Blaine was perfectly fine. He just missed him. Kurt could handle that.

_I miss you too. Just finished my last exam and am waiting for the teacher to let us go. And then I'll be rushing home to be with you. -Kurt_

Kurt glanced up at the clock. Only 10 more minutes to go. His phone buzzed again.

_I haven't been able to think of anything else other than you all day. Thought I would let you know. I love you. -Blaine_

Kurt was sure he now looked like an idiot, he was smiling so big. He quickly typed out a reply.

_I was just thinking of you, too. To be completely honest, I was planning our wedding. -hides face in shame- -Kurt_

Kurt waited anxiously for a reply. He and Blaine had always been honest, but he really hoped he was making things awkward or crossing the line. Kurt didn't have to wait long for a response, though, because Blaine's reply came faster than Kurt thought was possible.

_That is adorable. Describe it to me! -Blaine_

Kurt continued to text Blaine the details of their wedding for the next 10 minutes, until finally, class was dismissed, and Kurt all but ran out the door, knowing that the boy he loved was waiting for him at home.

* * *

><p>Four days after winter break began, Blaine was feeling much better- especially after spending those days cuddling with Kurt in bed and watching musicals. So the boys decided they should go out and get some Christmas shopping done, since Christmas was now only a week and a half away.<p>

Kurt and Blaine shopped together, buying various items for their parents- yes, Blaine still felt obligated to buy something for his parents, even though they weren't present in his life anymore. He figured the least he could do was buy a little thank you gift for "taking care of him" for the past 17 years. Kurt called it a "parting gift". Either way, Blaine bought his mother a nice necklace and his dad a pocket watch. Kurt bought Carole some new dresses, Finn the new video game he had been begging for, and his dad some new tools for the shop. Blaine bought Carole a necklace (one that was much nice than the one he bought for his real mom), Finn some CD's that he thought the boy might like, and Burt another baseball cap, this one for the Buckeyes.

After taking care of everyone on their shopping list, the boys only had one another left to shop for. Blaine convinced Kurt to part ways after saying he would have his cell phone on and that he wasn't feeling weak. Kurt was worried that Blaine might pass out again after their long day of shopping, but he finally caved, only because he wanted Blaine's Christmas present to be a surprise. So they parted ways, promising to text one another when they were done.

Blaine already knew what he was going to buy for Kurt, but he had something else up his sleeve as well. He just hoped it would go according to plan.

Blaine pulled out his cellphone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello, Dr. Patrick? This is Blaine Anderson. I was calling to see if we could get my follow-up appointment re-scheduled to before Christmas? Yes? Great! No, I'll be going by myself this time."

* * *

><p>"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS, KURT! WAKE UP! COME ON!"<p>

Kurt groaned, slowly opening his eyes from his deep slumber, only to be greeted by Blaine jumping up and down on the bed, screaming at the top of his lungs. Kurt rolled over.

"Kurtttttt. Come on! It's Christmas! Don't you want presents?"

Blaine stopped jumping on the bed and laid down beside Kurt, cuddling into him, placing soft kisses along the back of Kurt's neck.

Kurt groaned again- this time a groan of a different sort, then turned to face his boyfriend, giving him a sweet kiss on the lips.

"Yeah, ok. Let's go downstairs." Kurt said after eventually pulling away from Blaine's mouth.

The two boys made their way downstairs, hand in hand, and were greeted by an enthusiastic Finn, already digging into his presents from Burt and Carole, who were sitting on the couch, watching the teenager with an amused expression on their faces.

"Morning, dad. Carole." Kurt said, making his presence known.

Burt and Carole looked over at Blaine and Kurt, smiling at them.

"Good morning, boys! Merry Christmas!" Carole greeted, happily.

"Go ahead and join Finn. There are plenty of presents for you two." Burt added.

The next hour was spent with the teenagers opening presents from "Santa Claus".

Blaine couldn't believe that he had received just as many presents as Kurt and Finn. He knew that Carole and Burt considered him family, but he was still overwhelmed at how literally they meant that. It gave Blaine a warm feeling in his stomach and he was glad that he could truly call the place he had lived for the past six months home.

Finally, it was time for the family to exchange more personal gifts. Carole, Burt, and Finn all loved their presents from Kurt and Blaine, thanking the boys warmly.

Then it was Kurt's turn to give Blaine his gift. Blaine's face lit up as he opened the large box, filled with an assortment of fabulous hats.

"I wanted to make sure that my boyfriend continued to look stylish until his hair grew back. Not that you don't totally rock that look. But still... got to keep you up to date on the latest styles."

Blaine smiled at his boyfriend, then leaned in for a short kiss, aware that Kurt's family was watching them.

Blaine had considered giving Kurt his gift upstairs, away from the watchful eye of his family, but decided that he wanted his new family to witness this as well. So Blaine dug into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, and positioned himself in front of Kurt so that he was kneeling down on one knee.

Kurt gasped.

"Blaine? You're not... you're not proposing, are you?"

Blaine laughed.

"No. At least, not yet."

Blaine opened the box to reveal a simply silver ring, with one small diamond in the center of the band.

"This is a promise ring. A promise that we will be together forever. That I will always love you. That we will always take care of one another. I didn't want to give this to you until I was sure that I would be able to keep this promise. And now I know that I can."

Kurt gave Blaine a confused look. Blaine reached out and grabbed Kurt's hands.

"I went to the doctor Kurt. I went early, by myself. I'm completely cancer-free. They did all the tests and they're 100% sure that the cancer is gone... and it's not coming back. We'll never have to go through this again. I'll never leave you. I'm ready for our life to begin together."

Kurt burst into tears, pulling his boyfriend close, kissing him passionately on the mouth, not caring that his family was watching. But his family was too busy crying tears of joy to care anyway.

And then Blaine slipped the ring onto Kurt's finger and pulled him into a tight hug.

Kurt whispered into his ear,

"We already have begun our life together. But now, we'll just get our happily-ever-after."

* * *

><p>And 7 years later, Blaine stayed true to his promise.<p>

Kurt was all smiles as the church doors opened and he saw his beautiful, wonderful, healthy Blaine, hair curly as ever, smiling back at him at the front of the church. And as Teenage Dream started to play, Kurt began his walk down the aisle, escorted by his father, ready to face whatever else life would throw at him, because he knew he could handle anything as long as Blaine was by his side.

The End.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Ok, so I know it says "the end", but that's a lie. I have an epilogue for you guys. :)

Also, I have a few ideas for one shots set in this story, so be on the look out for those as well!

And another thing... SO MANY REVIEWS FOR THAT LAST CHAPTER! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! YOU GUYS ROCK MY WORLD!

Last note: just reminding you guys that I have a tumblr. Moonshoespotterstarkid. Follow me! I'd love to follow you all on tumblr, if you have one!


	15. Epilogue

"Sweetie, I'm home!" Kurt announced as he entered his penthouse in New York City that he shared with his husband Blaine.

Both men were now 30 years old. They had been married for six years now. And they had been living together in New York since they graduated high school, both attending NYU, Kurt for fashion and Blaine for music. It wasn't until they got married, though, that they moved into this particular penthouse, finally getting Kurt's craft room and Blaine's music room, where, yes, his harmonica stayed safe and sound.

Blaine walked up to his husband, greeting him with a hug.

"Hey, baby! I was just with Harry in my music room, teaching him how to play piano."

At this, a young boy with brown curly hair, exactly like Blaine's came bounding up behind his daddy (Blaine) and running to his pop (Kurt), who grabbed him and spun him around a few times in a tight hug before setting him down again and saying,

"Already? I mean, he's only 4. Is he even capable of playing the piano yet?"

Blaine faked being offended, putting his hands over his son's ears, jokingly, so that the young boy wouldn't have to hear such ridiculous things uttered.

"You'd be surprised. He's almost got the theme song to Harry Potter down."

Kurt gave Blaine a look of disbelief. He didn't know why he still let things like this surprise him. Especially after naming their son Harry, as they had promised one another they would do all those years ago in the hospital room. But sometimes, it still caught him off-guard how big of a dork his husband really was. And he loved him for it.

"OH!" Blaine gasped, suddenly.

"I almost forgot! Something came for you in the mail today!" Blaine announced, suddenly even more giddy than he usually was.

Kurt was confused. He wasn't expecting anything... while he tried to figure out what it could be, Blaine wandered over to coffee table in the living room, put whatever had come for Kurt behind his back, then walked, or more like pranced, excitedly back to Kurt.

"Close your eyes and hold out your hands!"

Kurt did, confused and excited as to what it could be. When he felt something light being placed into them, he opened his eyes and looked down.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD! The first edition of Kurtsie arrived! Kurtsie! IT'S HERE! IT'S REAL! OH MY GOD!"

Kurt and Blaine jumped up and down, squeeling in excitement for a few minutes. Harry, who was still standing with his fathers, didn't know what to do, so he just jumped up and down with them, laughing at how silly his fathers were being.

When they had finally settled down a little, Blaine pulled Kurt close to him, giving him a swift kiss on the lips, then pulled his son into the hug as well.

"I'm so proud of you, baby. I knew you could do it. And it looks wonderful. I'm just... so, so proud of you."

"Thank you, Blaine. I'm... I'm actually speechless. I had no idea it would feel so good to actually see years of dreaming right in my hands! Speaking of... when can we expect to get your album in the mail?"

Blaine smiled brightly at the reminder that soon he would be seeing his dream come true as well.

"Well, I'm recording the last song in the studio tomorrow, then they'll do some work to it, and it should be out within the next month."

Kurt began squeeling again at this news. He couldn't believe how far the two had come. Getting into NYU, getting married, getting an apartment in New York City, having a son, creating a fashion magazine, creating an album.

"In fact, I was hoping it might end up being released on the same day that Sami is born. She's due around that time, remember?" Blaine reminded him.

Of course Kurt remembered. He would finally be getting the daughter he'd always dreamed of. The perfect family that he and Blaine had dreamed of all those years ago.

All those years ago... wow had time flown.

Looking back, Kurt thought, it was stupid to put so much responsibility on himself, offering his strength to Blaine, when he needed just as much strength to get through everything for himself. He didn't realize how much of a toll all of it would take on him. How difficult it would be watching the man he loved go through so much pain. And he knew Blaine felt the same exact same way. But neither of them would trade it for a thing in the world. It was because of that story and that time in their life that they were where they were today, living out their happily-ever-after.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Woah. So, that's it. It's been super fun. Thank you guys so much for sticking with it to the end, if you made it this far. You guys are rock stars! I would love some reviews letting me know what you think. Also, let me know of any (if any at all) one-shots you guys would like for me to write for this story. I have 2 or 3 in my head, but I'm open to more suggestions! I love this story and don't really want to let it go yet. :)

Sooooo... yeah :)

Peace, love, and 3,6


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